LIVING THE SKY LIFE - BREAKING HIGH-RISE LIMITS REVOLUTIONARY ROPE - KONE'S MAGAZINE ISSUE 10
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KONE’S MAGAZINE
ISSUE 10
LIVING THE
SKY LIFE
BREAKING
HIGH-RISE LIMITS
REVOLUTIONARY
ROPE
2 | PEOPLE FLOW
Looking to the
next leap
CEO’S MESSAGE
Urbanization is a guiding megatrend for our business.
At the same time, our business enables the growth of
cities as buildings soar to increasing heights. Without
elevators this development would not be possible.
We are proud that KONE’s innovative solutions
enable the smooth flow of people in four of the ten
tallest buildings completed last year, including Leatop
Plaza in Guangzhou, China, a symbolic landmark for
environmentally-intelligent buildings. Looking ahead,
growth in super high-rise building is especially strong
in Asia and the Middle East. Plans are already underway
for buildings that top the one kilometer mark.
This coming leap in building heights means that it is
also time for the next leap in elevator technology. The
new KONE UltraRope™ represents that leap. KONE’s
new hoisting technology leads to much better energy
efficiency than conventional ropes, and the longer the
travel distance, the bigger the benefits. It is also far
less sensitive to building sway, meaning a significant
reduction in elevator downtime in tall buildings.
KONE’s historic successes are the result of innovative
thinking. To succeed in the future, we must continue
on this path of finding creative solutions for the
challenges of tomorrow.
Matti Alahuhta
President & CEO, KONE Corporation
KONE IN BRIEF
KONE is one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry. The company has been committed to understanding
the needs of its customers for the past century, providing industry-leading elevators, escalators and automatic building doors
as well as innovative solutions for modernization and maintenance. The company’s objective is to offer the best People Flow®
experience by developing and delivering solutions that enable people to move smoothly, safely, comfortably and without waiting
in buildings in an increasingly urbanizing environment. KONE employs 40,000 dedicated experts to serve you globally and
locally. We have activities in close to 150 countries across the globe.
www.kone.com
PEOPLE FLOW | 3
CONTENTS
ISSUE 10
THE ONLY WAY IS UP
Advances in building technologies mean there are no
limits on how tall buildings can go, explains Antony Wood. 4 DIVING DEEP TO RISE HIGH
KONE has gone deep underground to become one
of the world’s leading high-rise elevator suppliers. 8
KONE SHOWS THE ROPES
The KONE UltraRope™, KONE’s revolutionary hoisting
technology, is set to break high-rise elevator limits.
10 LIVING THE SKY LIFE
Ever wonder what it’s like to live in the world’s tallest
residential building? Or to see Shanghai from above
the rooftops? Here are some insights.
14
REFERENCE CASE
KONE is providing customized solutions to the
South Beach eco-quarter complex in Singapore. 16 PEOPLE FLOW LIKE NO OTHER
A behind-the-scenes look into solving the challenges
of delivering a people flow solution like no other for
the Makkah Clock Royal Tower Hotel.
18
People Flow is KONE’s stakeholder magazine. KONE Corporation, Keilasatama 3, P.O. Box 7, FI-02150 Espoo, Finland, +358 204 751, www.kone.com
Editor-In-Chief: Liisa Kivelä Managing Editor: Laura Vinha Editorial Board: Johannes de Jong, Liisa Kivelä, Anne Korkiakoski, Charlotta Korkman, John RD
IC ECOL A
BE
NO
Lynly, Katri Paalanen, Santeri Suoranta, Laura Vinha Published By: Sanoma Custom Media, +358 9 1201, www.yritysjulkaisut.fi, Sanna Myller, Director
L
Editorial Staff: Kimmo Holappa, Managing Editor; Shelly Nyqvist, Producer; Pii Haikka, Graphic Designer Reprographics: Tuukka Palmio Cover Photo:
Patrick Wack/Velhot Printed By: Kirjapaino Uusimaa, Porvoo ISSN 1798-4246 Orders, addresses, feedback and story ideas: peopleflow@kone.com 441 763
Printed matter
People Flow Issue 10 published in June 2013
4 | PEOPLE FLOW
With the population of the world growing at
a rapid rate, land in our cities is under greater
pressure than ever before. Building tall represents
the only sustainable solution, says Antony
Wood, Executive Director of the Council on Tall
Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). And, he
believes, advances in building technologies and
intelligence mean there is no longer any structural
limit on how tall buildings can go.
teXt CLAIRE PRENTICE photoS GRANTLY LYNCH AND KONE
the only way iS
up
E
very day, nearly 200,000 way upward, building dazzling cities in “It’s mostly about the infrastructure –
people move or are born the sky? the roads, the sewage, the power and
into urban areas around antony wood, the executive transportation to and from city to
the world. To accommo- director of the Council on Tall Buildings suburb and the energy that’s wasted,
date, the equivalent of a and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), believes the time that’s wasted, the pollution
new city of more than one the horizontal model of urban that’s created. Humanity can no longer
million people needs to be development with a dense downtown survive on this planet unless our cities
built every week. It’s an astonishing sta- working core and ever-expanding densify.”
tistic and one which has profound impli- suburbs has had its day.
cations for the future face of the world. “It’s unsustainable in the future new european heightS
So can we afford to keep growing because of the energy it takes to create While North America, Asia and the
outward into rural areas? Or is the only and operate that city,” says Wood. Middle East have embraced the ➝
PEOPLE FLOW | 5
about ctbuh
Founded in 1969, the Council
on Tall Buildings and Urban
Habitat is an international not-
for-profit organization supported
by architecture, engineering,
planning, development, and
construction professionals. The
CTBUH is the world’s leading
body in the field of tall build-
ings and the recognized source
of information on tall buildings
internationally.
For more information, visit
http://www.ctbuh.org
➝
1,000,000
THE EQUIVALENT OF A CITY OF 1 MILLION PEOPLE IS
CREATED EVERY WEEK AS PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
MOVE TO OR ARE BORN INTO URBAN AREAS.
6 | PEOPLE FLOW
skyscraper, Europe has traditionally been “Some of the greatest advances in dominated the race ever since. Today
resistant to growing upwards. The only skyscraper development in the last ten the Burj Khalifa (828 meters) in Dubai
European building in the top 100 tallest years, certainly environmentally, have is the world’s tallest, while the first ever
buildings in the world is The Shard in happened in Europe,” says Wood. one kilometer-tall building, the King-
London (306 meters) at number 56. But dom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is
with increasing pressure on land, com- a Symbol of proSperity scheduled to be completed in 2018.
bined with financial and sustainability To see how the skyscraper has become Not so long ago such heights would
factors, even traditionally anti-tall cities a global symbol of modernity and pros- have been unimaginable. But advances
like London and Paris are rethinking perity one need do no more than track in building technologies, expertise and
their skylines. its expansion across the world. intelligence have enabled buildings to
Europe might never be home to the The Home Insurance Building (55 keep getting taller. Wood believes there
biggest, but it is giving rise to some of meters) built in Chicago in 1885 was are no longer any structural limits on
the most exciting tall buildings around. the world’s first skyscraper. For more how tall buildings can go. “People say
than a century, the United States was to me ‘can we build a mile-high tower?’
home to the world’s tallest buildings. The answer is yes, if we’ve got someone
Then Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers to pay for it,” he says.
The Council on Tall Buildings (452 meters) took the prestigious title
and Urban Habitat is based in 1998. Asia and the Middle East have SkyScraper of the future
at the Illinois Institute of Tall buildings might represent a more
Technology in Chicago, sustainable future, but concrete and
Illinois, United States. steel are among some of the most en-
ergy-intensive materials on the planet.
As well as innovations like solar panels,
green roofs and energy-efficient double
skin facades, architects are looking at
ways to dramatically re-imagine the
skyscraper to make it more environ-
mentally friendly. Proposals include
PEOPLE FLOW | 7
the “woodscraper”, a skyscraper made but as somewhere to relax and have
using wood panels up to 19.5 meters fun, by incorporating green spaces like
long and 2.4 meters wide, designed by parks, gardens and walking paths. The
bringing life
the Vancouver-based architect Michael Petronas Towers in Malaysia (the world’s to the towerS
Green. tallest from 1998 to 2004) incorporates Architects are dreaming up
In the early days, the rapid upwards an art gallery, an aquarium, a concert a host of imaginative and
growth of cities like Chicago and New hall, a children’s playground, wading visionary ways to make tall
York was driven by technological ad- pools and jogging paths. buildings greener. They include
vances coupled with the desire on Wood is a powerful advocate for incorporating aquaponics
the part of corporations and retailers the continuing rise of the skyscraper pods into residential, office
to be concentrated in the city center. and believes they can accommodate or mixed-use buildings.
Additionally, iconic skyscrapers like the anything human beings demand of Aquaponics is a closed system
Chrysler and Woolworth Buildings were them. But he draws the line at a vertical of agriculture which involves
an integral part of the branding of the future in which no one ever has to step aquaculture (the farming of
corporations they housed. Today sky- outside again. “I don’t think we should aquatic organisms such as fish
scrapers have taken on an additional strive for that. To me, the idea of stay- or prawns) and hydroponics (a
role, of promoting the city they are ing inside a single building for days on method of growing plants that
located in as an important world center end is like a horror story.” ■ uses water instead of soil).
for business and commerce. The fish produce ammonia-
But how can we make tall cities rich waste which is then
livable, loveable places to call broken down by bacteria in
home? The key lies in radically the fish tanks into nitrates
rethinking the skyscraper as a place which then pass to tanks
not just to work, sleep and eat, containing the plants which
absorb the nitrates as food via
their roots. As well as fertilizing
the plants, the process filters
the water. Oxygenated filtered
water, along with waste
material generated by the
plants, is then fed to the fish.
Such a system could be
combined with an array of
green roofs, together produc-
ing vegetables, herbs and
hundreds of thousands of fish
annually to feed the residents
of the building.
8 | PEOPLE FLOW
Diving Deep to
rise high
N
text Laura ViNha photos KONE
o one could have guessed that a small
Sometimes you need to dive deep machine shop founded some 100 years ago
in the capital of Finland, a remote country
to reach the sky. This is exactly what
with no real skyscrapers of its own, would
KONE did to become one of the one day become a leading elevator supplier
to some of the world’s tallest and most im-
leading elevator suppliers to the world’s
pressive landmarks. Yet this is exactly what KONE has done.
skyscrapers. But the story of the world’s KONE’s solutions enable the smooth flow of people at
sites as diverse as the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort in
tallest elevator test tower – a shaft
Singapore; The Shard in London, Europe’s tallest building at
dug 350 meters into a damp and dark 306 meters; and the iconic Trump international hotel and
Tower in Chicago, at 423 meters the tallest building built in
limestone mine – is only part of KONE’s
2009. With cities growing taller and buildings soaring to new
quickly evolving high-rise story. heights, KONE’s high-rise story has only just begun.
PEOPLE FLOW | 9
Left: Johannes de Jong has a lot to smile about when
he considers the future of high-rise elevator technology.
Right: Once completed in 2017, the Chongqing International
Trade and Commerce Center will house the world’s
highest-traveling KONE elevator.
“Our technology is top of the game. helsinki headquarters and hyvinkää
We can be really proud. Eco-efficiency, factory and r&D site. The Tytyri high-
ride comfort – we are very far along rise laboratory was opened in 1998,
© kohn pedersen fox/associates (kpf), new york
with these,” says KONE head of Tech- and for the first time anywhere in the
nology for Major Projects Johannes de world, elevators destined for buildings
Jong, explaining what sets KONE apart over 200 meters tall could be tested in
in the high-rise elevator market. “and action before installation.
the way we deal with customers, the The conditions at Tytyri are extreme:
enthusiasm of our people, that’s not elevators have to endure dripping
easy to copy. We are a big company, water, near-freezing temperatures and
but there’s still a feeling of family.” high humidity, meaning they are tested
to withstand just about any condition a
early Days building might face. additionally, vari-
KONE’s high-rise story began in ous simulations allow testing for a range
the mid-1970s when it bought the of factors, including how the human
European subsidiaries of american West- body withstands different speeds and
inghouse, doubling its business volume changes in pressure during the ride. Kone high-rise fast facts
and gaining skyscraper expertise which, “at the moment, the highest sensible ■ Fastest commercially installed
until then, it had lacked. De Jong joined speed for people to travel at in an KONE elevator speed: 9m/s,
the company around the same time. elevator is 10 meters per second,” says Q1 Tower, Gold Coast,
another milestone was KONE’s de Jong, adding that speeds of up to australia
acquisition of australia’s EPL in 1990. 17 meters per second (or over 60 ■ Tallest elevator test shaft:
“This is when KONE really went km/h) can be tested at Tytyri. human 350 m, Tytyri, Lohja, Finland
into the high-rise business.” KONE physique, however, sets limits on the ■ Longest continuous KONE
also began to understand better the feasibility of super speeds. elevator journey: 452 m,
elements of ensuring a comfortable Chongqing international
high-rise elevator ride, an important visions of a multi-leveleD Trade and Commerce Center,
criterion particularly in the increasingly future Chongqing, China (due to
significant asian market. The KONE ultrarope™ hoisting open in 2017)
technology, introduced in June 2013, ■ Tallest KONE reference
Diving to recorD heights is the next big leap for the high-rise building: Makkah Clock royal
in the mid-1990s, KONE had already elevator industry, enabling super long Tower hotel, Mecca, Saudi
made breakthroughs in its volume elevator journeys of one kilometer in arabia (601 m)
products with the introduction of the future – twice the distance currently
innovations such as the world’s first feasible. and as buildings grow taller,
machine-room-less elevator, the KONE they also grow smarter. already, a group
MonoSpace®. “We started thinking of high-rise elevators can contain a
we needed to have similar products for huge amount of software, with elevators he envisions sky corridors connecting
high-rises and a place to test them,” communicating with each other to mega high-rises and elevators that serve
says de Jong. optimize routes and minimize waiting. as cars in the sky, moving not just verti-
after initial contemplation on the De Jong sees digitalization as a major cally but in all directions in shafts that
construction of a test tower, KONE driving force for the future development house several elevators at a time, not
started thinking deep rather than tall of cities, buildings and elevators. “What just one.
and found the Tytyri limestone mine, this will mean is completely unknown. “it’s perhaps not the complete future
less than an hour’s drive from both the But we need to be ready.” vision, but i believe this is the future.” ■
10 | PEOPLE FLOW
Traveling a kilometer is no huge feat –
Kone unless you want to make the journey
upwards in a single elevator ride. No
shows
elevator manufacturer has figured out
how to do this. Until now. The KONE
UltraRope™ is a revolutionary technology
the roPes
set to break high-rise elevator limits.
text Laura vinha Photo and IllustratIon KONE
A
t first glance it doesn’t “You wouldn’t think it, but rope that is moved up or down every time
look like much – a flat weight impacts everything,” says Tomio someone hops into a high-rise elevator.
piece of black licorice, Pihkala, who heads one of KONE’s Less deadweight means smaller energy
perhaps. But the super- global research and development units in consumption and operating costs.
light KONE UltraRope is Hyvinkää, Finland. “If you have a lighter “When components are smaller,
a completely new take rope, you can have a smaller and lighter the logistics are easier,” says Pihkala,
on elevator hoisting. Made of a carbon elevator counterweight and sling. This adding that installing huge components
fiber core surrounded by a unique high- means the overall moving masses are inside relatively cramped skyscrapers is
friction coating, the new rope weighs reduced.” always a challenge. “The environmental
only about 19 percent of a similar Put simply, the new technology impact is also smaller when materials
strength conventional steel rope. enables massive cuts in the deadweight are lighter.“PEOPLE FLOW | 11
KONE UltraRope™ in
action, being tested at
the Tytyri high-rise
1 km
laborabory in Lohja,
Finland.
KONE ULTRAROPE™ WILL ENABLE
ELEvATOR TRAvEL OF UP TO ONE
KILOMETER IN THE FUTURE.
ReinvenTing The elevAToR CoRe sTRengTh some of the qualities that have been
Traveling more than 500 meters, In addition to being very light, carbon measured.
or 100-odd floors, in a continuous fiber is strong and durable. It has already
elevator trip is challenging and doesn’t revolutionized products in several other no RusT, no weAR
really make sense using conventional industries, including aviation and sport- Unlike steel, carbon fiber does not rust,
technology. At that point, the weight of ing equipment. stretch or wear. The special coating of
the several kilometers of rope needed to At KONE, the idea of creating a the new rope makes lubrication un-
hoist the elevator becomes an obstacle. carbon fiber rope came in 2004. “The necessary, meaning environmentally
More ropes are needed just to lift the first prototypes were made by hand,” friendlier maintenance. Carbon fiber
weight of the ropes. says Pihkala. Actual research and also resonates at a completely different
In a building this tall, the moving development began a few years later. It frequency to most building materials.
masses of a single elevator hoisted wasn’t long before the rope was fitted This means KONE UltraRope is less
with steel ropes can be some 27,000 into a shaft at KONE’s Tytyri high-rise sensitive to building sway, and eleva-
kilograms. This is equal to fitting ten testing laboratory in Southern Finland. tor downtime during strong winds and
off-road vehicles inside the shaft and “We were surprised by how storms can be reduced.
shifting them along with the elevator. problem-free it was,” says Pihkala. While typical high-rise elevator
Using KONE UltraRope for hoisting in “Often, there are a lot of problems ropes need to be changed at regular
a similar shaft, the moving masses are when you develop something com- intervals – no easy task in a tall build-
roughly 13,000 kilograms, or about the pletely new. But our faith in this started ing – the new technology enables a
weight of four off-road vehicles. to grow very quickly.” rope lifetime twice that of conventional
Limits set by ropes are a major The rope has since been tested ropes. KONE has also developed a real-
reason why most very tall buildings thoroughly both in real elevators and time rope condition monitoring system.
have sky lobbies served by shuttle in laboratories. Properties like tensile “We have a rope that works, is
elevators from the ground. Separate strength, bending lifetime, material reliable, and delivers on our promises,”
elevators take people higher from these aging and the impact of extreme Pihkala beams. “This is a good place to
lobbies in the sky. In the future, KONE temperatures and humidity are just move on from.” ■
UltraRope will enable elevator travel all
the way from ground floor to penthouse
in a kilometer-high building in one
AnnuAl sAvings in eneRgy ConsumPTion
continuous journey. 50,0
“We are on the brink of something 45,0
big. In a sense, we have reinvented the
40,0
high-rise elevator,” says Pihkala.
35,0
PeRCenTAge %
KONE UltraRope is compatible with
30,0
all other KONE high-rise solutions so
25,0
it can be used to replace conventional
ropes in old buildings. And with the 20,0
new technology, the higher you go, the 15,0
bigger the benefits. For example, the 10,0
energy savings for a 500-meter elevator 5,0
journey are around 15 percent versus 0,0
conventional rope. For an 800-meter 0 200 400 600 800 1000
elevAToR TRAvel heighT (m)
journey, the savings are over 40 percent.12 | PEOPLE FLOW
SUSTAINABLE
KONE CASE
URBAN
RENEWAL URBAN TRENDS
SINGAPORE SECRETS
Underground restaurants are on trend
at the moment. As Singapore swells
with bigger and grander establishments,
secret eateries are increasingly popping
up to serve culinary delights with a not-
so-typical social experience.
The phenomenon started with people
who wanted to explore new tastes and
meet like-minded foodies outside a
commercial setting.
© SOUTH BEACH CONSORTIUM PTE LTD
Local venues boast hush-hush menus,
authentic home-style cuisine and
hidden entrances. But unless you have
insider information, you may never get
in. On the upside, you can usually get
the password off a Facebook or Twitter
page.
Shh! Don’t tell anyone we told you!PEOPLE FLOW | 13
35
REGENERATIVE DRIVES REDUCE UP TO 35% OF
AN ELEVATOR’S TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION
BY SUPPLYING THE REGENERATED ELECTRICITY
BACK TO THE BUILDING’S POWER NETWORK.
KONE SOLUTIONS
31 KONE MiniSpace™ elevators
21 KONE MonoSpace® elevators,
of which 3 are scenic
16 KONE TravelMaster™ escalators
5 KONE TransitMaster™ escalators
5 small home elevators for penthouse
apartments
KONE Polaris™ hybrid destination
control system
SOUTH BEACH
ECO-QUARTER
Total area: 150,000 m2
Floors: 45 stories tower 1; 34 stories tower 2
Rooms: 650+ rooms
Architects: Foster + Partners
Developer: City Developments Limited and
IOI Group
Interior design: Philippe Starck
S
TEXT SIO HUI LIM
ingapore is on the rise, a crucial consideration in the tropical
quite literally. A recent country.
construction boom has Central to the sustainable design
left the city with iconic are KONE’s customized People Flow®
landmarks. solutions, planned to meet the needs
Come 2015, Singapore will have of the various building types and
another architectural masterpiece user groups. KONE TransitMaster™
to its name, South Beach. The escalators with energy-saving standby
3.5 hectare complex includes the features will be installed in the retail
conservation of a former colonial area to create optimal traffic flow.
army compound, which will The towers will feature compact
be transformed into a lifestyle KONE MiniSpace™ elevators
destination with office, hotel, retail, traveling at speeds of up to 8.0
club and residential components. meters/second, and the intelligent
The groundbreaking mixed- KONE Polaris™ hybrid destination
use development designed by control system to reduce waiting
British architects Foster + Partners times. KONE MonoSpace® machine-
will incorporate comprehensive room-less elevators, complete with
eco-friendly features, such as an regenerative drives, will also be
environmental filter canopy that will delivered.
shade the open spaces and draw air The eco-quarter is scheduled for
currents to cool the area beneath it, completion in 2015. ■14 | PEOPLE FLOW
living the
sKy life
city skylines shoot through the
clouds to accommodate a growing
demand for homes in the sky.
TEXT silJa Kudel PHOTOS Jeff Topping/polaris/mvphoTos
F
rom his spacious apartment James relocated to the United Arab appreciate the comfort and status of
on the 68th floor of the Emirates to pursue new career oppor- living in a skyscraper.
101-story Princess Tower in tunities as a Sales Manager at the ITP
Dubai, alexander James Publishing Group – but equally to enjoy love aT firsT sighT
can hardly take his eyes off the lifestyle offered. James and his newlywed wife found
the spectacular view of the A recent KONE survey of people their apartment by chance and took it
Dubai Marina, dubbed the “Nice of living and working in skyscrapers on the spot. “We both fell in love with
the Middle East”. Rising to 414 meters, around the world reveals that the oil- the view – especially in the morning and
Princess Tower is recognized by the rich Dubaians are among the keenest evening. And it’s so peaceful living 68
Guinness World Records as the world’s to brand their city with skyscrapers, floors up in the sky, far from the traffic,
tallest residential building. with nearly 80 percent of respondents pollution, hustle and bustle. We plan to
A former suburbanite hailing from believing that landmark buildings stay for the next five years and start a
Wimbledon in the United Kingdom, improve the city’s image. Dubaians also family here,” says James.PEOPLE FLOW | 15
princess Tower ciTy dwellers liKe living Tall
Completed: 2012 When you think of Paris, London or Rome, what
Height: 170,000 m2 springs to mind? The Eiffel Tower? Big Ben? The
Floors: 101 + 6 basement floors Colosseum? Landmark buildings are part of a city’s
Architect: Eng. Adnan Saffarini Office identity. And increasingly that identity is being driven
Building owner: Tameer Holding Investment LLC higher as urban areas become more densely popu-
Developer: Tameer Holding Investment LLC lated and the logical building direction is up.
Contractor: Arabian Construction Company Nearly 70 percent of people living in cities around
the world see tall buildings as an essential part of the
Kone soluTions modern cityscape. Sixty-three percent believe that
11 KONE MiniSpace™ elevators building upwards is a sustainable way to develop
2 KONE MonoSpace® elevators urban areas. And, perhaps unsurprisingly considering
2 KONE JumpLift construction time elevators where most of the world’s highest new buildings are
springing up, Asians and Middle Easterners view tall
buildings even more positively than Europeans and
Americans.
There are other differences between nationalities
too, according to the study commissioned recently
by KONE and gathering responses from over 4,000
city dwellers in eight of the world’s major cities:
Dubai, Chicago, London, Moscow, Mumbai, Paris,
Shanghai and Singapore.
Singaporeans and Parisians are the most eager
to live on high floors and men are slightly more
enthusiastic than women about living and working in
high-rises. Three-quarters of respondents like working
in tall buildings because there is generally easy access
to services such as shops and public transport. People
from Shanghai (79%) and Dubai (71%) in particular
appreciate the close proximity to business partners
offered by working in tall buildings.
And the top reasons to love living high? Nearly
90 percent of respondents mentioned the view while
more than half also appreciated being able to rise
above the traffic noise below.
Like James, the majority of Dubaian hockey, and a playroom for children on up from the ground floor to the 68th
respondents in KONE’s Tall Buildings one of the lower floors. in less than a minute. They really make
survey identify the avoidance of pollu- “The outside pool area on the fifth living high up a pleasure.”
tion and feeling of peace and relaxation floor offers a great outdoor space for The KONE survey indicates that
as the main incentives for living high residents to enjoy a breath of fresh air. Dubaians assign special importance to
above ground level. We also make good use of our balcony,” advanced high-rise technology, with
James reports that the quality of says James. four out of five respondents feeling it is
life is significantly better in Dubai than important to have access control solu-
in the UK, particularly with access to Beam me up tions to improve security and enable
luxury residential services including two “The quality of the KONE elevators in the easy movement of people within
state-of-the-art gyms, two pools and our building is incredible. They are fast buildings. ➝
a Jacuzzi. In addition, there are two and deliver an incredibly smooth ride.
games rooms with pool tables and air You don’t even notice that you’ve shot16 | PEOPLE FLOW
Patrick Wack/VELhOt.cOm
new heighTs of luxury survey, four out of five Shanghainese high-rise, you really sense the weather
Sipping green tea in the living room regard tall buildings as a vital part of changing. It’s fascinating to see the
of her 27th floor penthouse, pauliina their cityscape. Nearly 80 percent see clouds rolling in. The view is most
louhiluoto enjoys a panoramic view of skyscrapers as a space-efficient form breathtaking by night – the light
Shanghai’s Luwan and Xuhui districts. of urban development. Similar results shows on buildings are amazing.”
Buzzing with energy, the noisy streets apply globally, with two out of three
below are populated by boutiques, metropolitans reporting positive or a slice of heaven
bakeries and spas, yet the traffic is very positive attitudes toward tall For Louhiluoto, the main perk of high-
inaudible. buildings. rise living is being in the heart of a
“We occasionally hear car horns, fire- Whereas most foreigners in bustling metropolis far removed from
works or dogs barking, but never traffic. Shanghai choose quiet expatriate the noise and commotion.
And we love listening to the window compounds, Louhiluoto fell in love “I have my own little world up here.
cleaners singing on their suspended with the energetic Puxi neighborhood We don’t see the cars or people in
platforms,” says Louhiluoto, CEO of – an unconventional choice for an ex- the streets, but we can sense the local
Helsinki-based fashion and design firm suburban family with three kids. culture around us,” she says.
My o My. “I honestly don’t miss the suburbs! The same feelings are reported
She and her family relocated to The kids miss playing football in the by the majority of respondents in
Shanghai last year due to her husband’s backyard, but there’s a tennis court KONE’s Tall Buildings survey. The top
posting in China. and outdoor pool right here in our three reasons people gave for choos-
building.” ing a high-rise were the scenery (88
so long, suBurBia Louhiluoto often retreats to her percent), absence of traffic and other
Shanghai is a city ambitiously push- rooftop garden, a restful oasis where noise (60 percent) and privacy (47
ing skyward. According to the KONE she reconnects with nature. “In a percent).PEOPLE FLOW | 17
The lungs of
singapore
Every second Singaporean wants to
live high up in a tall building, yet
within easy reach of nature. This is no
longer an impossible equation thanks
Patrick Wack/VELhOt.cOm
to Gardens by the Bay, a 101-hectare
park built on reclaimed land flanking
the skyscrapers of downtown Singa-
pore. Opened in 2012, this science
fiction paradise enhances quality of
life for Singaporeans by “greening”
the city and significantly increasing
outdoor recreational space. Designed
by British Grant Associates, the
iconic landmark includes a grove of
“supertrees” stretching as high as
50 meters. These towering steel struc-
tures covered with ferns, orchids and
other vegetation have a unique eco-
logical function: they collect rainwater,
generate solar energy, and function as
LEhtikuVa
part of the park’s cooling system.
aT your service
Long waiting times for elevators are garden-To-TaBle london’s
among the major drawbacks of “living The Savoy, located in KONE’s new green
tall” reported by 31 percent of respon- hometown of Helsinki, Finland, Next year will see the opening
dents. The growing need among high- offers a locally grown “menu” of a new green space designed
rise dwellers for speed and convenience on a small scale. The Alvar Aalto to draw visitors, enhance
is being addressed by rapid advances in designed gourmet restaurant livability and build a sense of
high-rise elevator technology. KONE is grows more than 40 species of communal identity for London’s
at the forefront in delivering comfort- herbs and a variety of salad greens Southbank. Conceived as a
enhancing solutions such as super-fast on its rooftop terrace during the “people magnet” and green
double-deck elevators and intelligent summer. Nearly 200,000 bees connector in the new Embassy
access control systems that automati- also earn their keep – the nectar is Gardens housing development,
cally identify passengers and take them believed to be collected from 30 Linear Park is strongly inspired
directly to their own floor. flower species. by New York’s High Line, a
High-rise living has brought pleasant public park built on an elevated
surprises for the Louhiluoto family: the freight rail on Manhattan’s West
youngest son learned to count with the Side. Linear Park will meander
help of elevator buttons! from Vauxhall to Battersea
James agrees, “Life at the top is Power Station, striving to
astounding. I’d recommend Princess emulate the success of the High
iStOckPhOtO
Tower to anyone wanting state-of-the- Line as an inspiring example of
art living and exceptional residential urban regeneration.
facilities.” ■18 | PEOPLE FLOW
people
FloW
like no other
what does it take to provide a complete
People Flow® solution like no other for
one of the largest structures in the world?
a specially recruited design and project
team, numerous complicated calculations –
and a mountain of equipment.
teXt johN aCheR photoS koNePEOPLE FLOW | 19 Makkah CloCk Royal ToweR hoTel Completed: 2012 CloCk ToweR: height: 601 m Floors: 120 PodiuM: height: 115 m Floors: 15 architect: dar al-handasah Shair & Partners developer: Saudi Binladin Group koNe SoluTioNS CloCk ToweR: 89 koNe MiniSpace™ elevators 5 koNe MonoSpace® Special elevators 16 koNe extra heavy-duty, high-efficiency Transvario escalators PodiuM: 75 koNe MiniSpace™ elevators 4 koNe MonoSpace® Special elevators 111 koNe extra heavy-duty, high-efficiency Transvario escalators adjaCeNT ToweRS: 10 koNe MiniSpace™ elevators 2 helipad elevators 6 koNe extra heavy-duty, high-efficiency Transvario escalators
20 | PEOPLE FLOW
koNe iN The Middle eaST
koNe established its regional head-
quarters in dubai in 1993, and has
become the leading supplier of eleva-
tors and escalators in the Middle east,
employing nearly 2,000 people across
Saudi arabia, the united arab emirates,
Qatar, oman and Bahrain. it serves
a further 10 countries in the region
through its network of joint-ventures
and authorized distributors. koNe has
about 750 employees in Saudi arabia
where it operates through the koNe-
areeco ltd joint-venture.
T
he Makkah Clock Royal Tower Facilitating the movement
hotel rises above everything oF people
else in the city of Mecca in koNe was contracted to supply
Saudi arabia. at 601 meters elevators and escalators for the
and 120 floors, the glisten- building’s podium in 2002. in 2008,
ing steel-and-concrete clock tower is the after making numerous calculations to
biggest building in the world, and ranks establish the best possible solutions to
second in height only to the Burj khalifa serve the building’s unique and massive
in dubai in the neighboring united arab flows of people, the company received
emirates. The structure’s seven towers an order to supply equipment for the
rest upon a 15-story retail podium, and clock tower itself. altogether, koNe has
the three towers on either side of the delivered more than 300 elevators and
clock tower reach between 200 and 300 escalators for the entire complex.
meters into the sky. koNe pulled top-notch experts from
at peak times the hotel, which faces across the company to work side-by-
the world’s biggest mosque, the Masjid side with the contractor and building koNe worked closely with the
al-haram or Grand Mosque, provides owner, the Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), architects and contractors in the pre-
accommodation and recreation for to ensure elevator and escalator capacity planning stages, calculating traffic
up to 75,000 visitors at a time – that’s and placement were optimal for capacity to assess crowd behavior
equal to the capacity of the olympic enabling a smooth exit and re-entry for and patterns of movement. allocation
Stadium in Berlin, Germany. all of these building visitors. of sufficient escalators, elevators,
thousands of people leave their rooms “we conducted a thorough people and dedicated routes minimizes
on various floors of the Makkah Clock flow analysis to learn and track possible congestion and the risks related to
Royal Tower hotel within 30 minutes passenger traffic patterns,” says tarek moving such large crowds through
or less for prayer five times per day. For elnaggar, Senior Vice President at the complex.
koNe, supplying a comprehensive solu- koNe who was the regional director The elevators ascend to the summit
tion for this megatall high-rise has been for koNe Middle east during the of the clock tower in stages, one set
one of its most impressive undertakings project. “By doing so, we delivered an rising as high as the 86th floor while
and serves as a prestigious calling card, extraordinary amount of equipment, another set whisks passengers up to
further strengthening its position in the including 94 elevators and 16 escalators the top floors, including luxurious
Middle east high-rise market. for the clock tower.” hotel apartments and an astronomicalPEOPLE FLOW | 21 observation deck situated in a beautiful 54 people at a time – in the biggest ensure the elevators and escalators glass dome above the clock. shuttle in the clock tower. The longest perform reliably and are repaired To accommodate such unique flows continuous elevator trip within the immediately if a fault occurs. “we of people, koNe implemented special complex is 393 meters. work in shifts with 15 technicians group control software with state-of- on duty per shift,” explains koNe’s the-art intelligence. The control system maintenance like no other ahmed ragab, Project Manager for minimizes waiting times and takes “The main part of the project has been the site. passengers most conveniently and with completed and handed over to the koNe considers the clock tower fewest stops to their designated floor. customer, with just a few units still project an example of the company’s The elevators in the clock tower to be commissioned,” says elnaggar. competence to deliver elevators and travel at up to six meters per second – “The challenge now turns to mainte- escalators to many of the world’s tallest or about two floors per second. They nance.” and exceptional skyscrapers. include some of the largest elevators For the Makkah Clock Royal Tower “This is a trademark reference for available, with up to eight tons of hotel that means keeping a team of koNe in Saudi arabia, and we are very capacity in a few podium shuttles, and koNe service technicians permanently proud to partner with SBG,” elnaggar up to 4.5 tons of capacity – room for on site to provide 24-hour service and says. ■
22 | PEOPLE FLOW
DID YOU KNOW
THE SKY’S
THE LIMIT
W
hen famous ape King building to employ a supporting historiCal highs
Kong climbed the skeleton of steel beams and columns. The Empire State Building
102-story Empire Today, the home Insurance (381 meters) held the title of
State Building in Building doesn’t stand a chance in tallest building in the world for
1933, little did we know that would the tall category. an unprecedented 41 years, from
set the stage for all things tall. Sixty-six buildings taller than 200 1931 to 1972. Before the start
Actually, the term skyscraper meters were completed during 2012. of the 20th century the tallest
came about in 1884 when the first Of the 10 tallest completed buildings in the world were Eu-
tall building was constructed in the last year, KONE provided people rope’s churches and cathedrals.
united States. The home Insurance Flow® solutions to four: the Makkah And before that, we can count
Building in chicago, Illinois, united clock royal Tower hotel in Saudi the Great pyramid a skyscraper
States, is considered the father of Arabia, princess Tower and the Elite for that era. At original build, it
skyscrapers. Standing at 42 meters residence both in the united Arab stood at 146.5 meters. ■
and 10 stories, it was the first Emirates, and Leatop plaza in china.
What defines tall?
There is no absolute definition of what
constitutes a tall building though it is
generally recognized as a building of 14 or
more stories, or over 50 meters in height.
Great Pyramid of Giza Marina Bay Sands Capital City Towers
146.5 m, Giza Necropolis 194 m, Singapore 302 m, MoscowPEOPLE FLOW | 23
taLL tEsting
There’s no tower poking out of the landscape
at KONE’s high-rise elevator laboratory site in
Lohja, Finland. So where is the world’s tallest
elevator test shaft? Deep underground – well We can likely
below sea-level, in fact. expect the
The Tytyri test site was opened in 1998, world’s first
kilometer-tall
adjacent to a limestone mine that has oper-
building as
ated there for over 100 years. It remains the
well as the
only elevator testing facility where travel dis- A Megatall building completion of
tances exceeding 200 meters can be tested is over 600 meters at least eight
in action. The shaft itself is 350 meters long, in height megatalls by
2
enabling a travel distance of 317 meters. 2020. That’s
The maximum speed that can be tested at double the
Tytyri is a whopping 17 m/s – that’s equal to height of a
whizzing past four floors in just one second. ■ megatall supertall!
Buildings in
the world
A Supertall building
is over 300 meters
in height
770 71
supertall
Buildings in
200+ meter
the world
2788
Buildings in
the world
150+ meter
Buildings in
the world
SOurcE: cTBuh
JArKKO pELTOLuhTA
The Shard Q1 Tower Princess Tower Trump International Makkah Royal
306 m, London 323 m, 413 m, Dubai Hotel & Tower Clock Tower Hotel
Gold Coast 423 m, Chicago 601 m, MeccaKONE UltraRope™
– one innovation serving
many high-rise elevator
needs.
The superlight KONE UltraRope enables unrivaled
eco-efficiency, reliability, and durability, improving
overall high-rise elevator performance.
KONE UltraRope is clearly more energy efficient than
conventional technologies. It has twice the lifetime
of conventional steel rope and is also less sensitive to
building sway. Its lightweight carbon fiber core cuts
elevator moving masses significantly and makes
travel heights of 1,000 meters possible in the future.
www.kone.com
People living in urban and rural areas around the
Total moving masses
world
Total weight (kg)
120,000 KONE UltraRope
Conventional steel rope
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
200 400 600 800
Elevator travel (m)You can also read
